Science + tech = art

Meet the designer of Sarah Palin's glasses, Kazuo Kawasaki

06/17/2009 10:00 PM

By EMILY CO
Medill News Service

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Kazuo Kawasaki scans through the slides of the experimental non-intrusive surgical technique i-Shake Sphere, monikered after the famous Elizabethan writer.
EMILY CO/ Medill

During last year’s presidential compaign, Kazuo Kawasaki received worldwide acclaim for his design of what become one of last year’s hottest fashion accessories — Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s glasses.

But with Kawasaki, there is more than meets the eye. Born in Fukui, Japan, Kawasaki’s accomplishments do not follow the same beaten path of his artsy peers. The 60-year-old is a professor at the graduate school of engineering at Osaka University, holds a Ph.D. in medical science and is an inventor in many disciplines. At the invitation of the Consulate General of Japan at Chicago, Kawasaki spoke recently about his design of an artificial heart and other projects at Illinois Institute of Technology’s Institute of Design.

At IIT, Kawasaki described several of his inventions while presentation slides flashed and whistled behind him. The main theme of the lecture was Kawasaki’s idea of design inclusiveness. He said the concept is based on the premise that although his inspiration to initiate a project stems from personal needs, he strives to evolve the final outcome into a universal concept that will apply to everyone. For example, Kawasaki’s own heart problems sparked his decision to design an artificial heart. If it is implemented successfully, the heart could benefit the public as a whole.

Another project Kawasaki embarked upon because of personal experience was the Peace-Keeping Design movement. PKD encourages designing for everyone, including people at the “bottom of the pyramid,” those often bypassed for the privileged market. His compassion for the less fortunate stems from a tragic traffic accident that left him wheelchair-bound at the age of 28.

A sample of PKD’s efforts is a tiny plastic card instrument that shares the same functions as a syringe. It has a push button function that propels the liquid through its hypodermic needle attachment into the body. It is Kawasaki’s hope that this invention will catch on in developing countries, for he says because it uses less plastic and other materials it is cheaper to produce.

Although he seemed resigned about the reason for his fame, Kawasaki said he is appreciative of the attention the Palin phenomenon drew to his philanthropic works. Two years ago, he wanted to present PKD to the United Nations. But it was only after he started gaining recognition as the designer behind Palin’s frames that he received an e-mail from a friend saying the United Nations was ready to open their doors to him.

Currently, Kawasaki is collaborating with some of Japan’s top universities and research institutes to develop the i-Shake Sphere. Calling it a “national secret,” Kawasaki touched upon it briefly at IIT, describing it as a pioneering non-intrusive surgery technique. He said the technology will use an external tablet to control virtual spheres which will travel around the patient’s body seeking substances like cancer cells or tumors. Medical professionals using the device would even be able to gauge the firmness of patients’ tumor by pressing on the tablet

But because everything he designs is so complex, Kawasaki said he is eager for a next project that will require relatively less brainpower — designing coffee mugs.


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